OTHER VOICES

Government for the powerful, or for the people?

By Gail ColbySpecial to the Star-Banner

Published: Sunday, April 21, 2013 at 6:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, April 19, 2013 at 4:53 p.m.

Does government actually serve the people as its priority, or does it work more for the interests of the wealthy and powerful? The distortion of government's true role is not simply a national or state issue, but a local one.

We've grown used to hearing about tax breaks needed by corporations, but cuts required for Social Security; defended perks for the wealthy, but no funds for schools; or preferential treatment for lobbyists' rich clients, but dismissal of social services for their clients' underpaid workers.

Juvenile responses to such comparisons holler about "class warfare," a distraction to convince us that the reality is somehow different from what we all know to be true. Money talks, politicians listen, and we the people must pay for it.

When FedEx Ground determined that Ocala was the right location for a regional center, the Marion County Commission went to work finding $1 million worth of accommodations and incentive payments to secure this prize for our local economy. Some may deny that bounties should be paid to a company ranked No. 70 in the Fortune 500, which earned $3 billion on $42 billion in sales last year. However, such payments have become the norm in the marketplace for securing new businesses in struggling communities like ours. Our community will recover the initial expense and much more. I understand that.

When R+L Carriers decided to locate a new transportation logistics center in Ocala, the commission eagerly awarded $350,000 in taxpayer funds as an incentive and for creating 250 good-paying jobs. This is a national trucking company with more than 12,000 employees. R+L Carriers is owned by local multimillionaire Larry Roberts, known for Golden Ocala, among other properties nationwide, through his RLR Investments. As generous as Roberts may be, this isn't charity. Roberts expects this venture to be profitable, yet government payments of taxpayer funds were readily available to one of the wealthiest individuals in our community.

On the same morning that R+L Carriers received from the commission its final reward of $1,200 per employee it hires, that action stood in stark contrast to what would follow.

After rewarding the millionaire, resident after resident went to the microphone during public comments, urging commissioners to adopt Amendment 11. The same Amendment 11 approved by 61 percent of voters last November, that would provide a homestead tax exemption to low-income, longtime senior residents whose homes are valued less than $250,000. The property appraiser had estimated the annual cost at only $162,000, less than half of the amount paid to R+L Carriers, and a tiny percentage of what was awarded to FedEx the month before.

After an hour of public comments on Amendment 11, I sat in amazement and, yes, in anger, as three commissioners dismissed the concerns of their citizens, disregarded the results from November's election, and insisted that the county could not afford to grant this tax exemption that would only cost $162,000 per year.

At the end of the meeting, one senior citizen returned to the microphone, imploring commissioners to change their minds. Instead, he was offered a discount prescription card which the county is now distributing, like the similar free cards handed out by United Way and other agencies. But there was no respect shown by the commissioners for his dignity or any thought to provide what he sought: a fair, decent response from elected officials on something his fellow citizens voted to approve overwhelmingly.

Could the Marion County commissioners only approve Amendment 11 if approved by the powerful rather than the people?

I gladly signed the Adopt Amendment 11 petition at the AwakeMarion.com website because government for the powerful is unjust, corrupting, and exploits taxpayers. It has to be stopped so that we can return to government that is responsive to the needs of the people, not stuffing the purses of the powerful.

<p>Does government actually serve the people as its priority, or does it work more for the interests of the wealthy and powerful? The distortion of government's true role is not simply a national or state issue, but a local one.</p><p>We've grown used to hearing about tax breaks needed by corporations, but cuts required for Social Security; defended perks for the wealthy, but no funds for schools; or preferential treatment for lobbyists' rich clients, but dismissal of social services for their clients' underpaid workers.</p><p>Juvenile responses to such comparisons holler about "class warfare," a distraction to convince us that the reality is somehow different from what we all know to be true. Money talks, politicians listen, and we the people must pay for it.</p><p>When FedEx Ground determined that Ocala was the right location for a regional center, the Marion County Commission went to work finding $1 million worth of accommodations and incentive payments to secure this prize for our local economy. Some may deny that bounties should be paid to a company ranked No. 70 in the Fortune 500, which earned $3 billion on $42 billion in sales last year. However, such payments have become the norm in the marketplace for securing new businesses in struggling communities like ours. Our community will recover the initial expense and much more. I understand that.</p><p>When R+L Carriers decided to locate a new transportation logistics center in Ocala, the commission eagerly awarded $350,000 in taxpayer funds as an incentive and for creating 250 good-paying jobs. This is a national trucking company with more than 12,000 employees. R+L Carriers is owned by local multimillionaire Larry Roberts, known for Golden Ocala, among other properties nationwide, through his RLR Investments. As generous as Roberts may be, this isn't charity. Roberts expects this venture to be profitable, yet government payments of taxpayer funds were readily available to one of the wealthiest individuals in our community.</p><p>On the same morning that R+L Carriers received from the commission its final reward of $1,200 per employee it hires, that action stood in stark contrast to what would follow. </p><p>After rewarding the millionaire, resident after resident went to the microphone during public comments, urging commissioners to adopt Amendment 11. The same Amendment 11 approved by 61 percent of voters last November, that would provide a homestead tax exemption to low-income, longtime senior residents whose homes are valued less than $250,000. The property appraiser had estimated the annual cost at only $162,000, less than half of the amount paid to R+L Carriers, and a tiny percentage of what was awarded to FedEx the month before.</p><p>After an hour of public comments on Amendment 11, I sat in amazement and, yes, in anger, as three commissioners dismissed the concerns of their citizens, disregarded the results from November's election, and insisted that the county could not afford to grant this tax exemption that would only cost $162,000 per year. </p><p>At the end of the meeting, one senior citizen returned to the microphone, imploring commissioners to change their minds. Instead, he was offered a discount prescription card which the county is now distributing, like the similar free cards handed out by United Way and other agencies. But there was no respect shown by the commissioners for his dignity or any thought to provide what he sought: a fair, decent response from elected officials on something his fellow citizens voted to approve overwhelmingly.</p><p>Could the Marion County commissioners only approve Amendment 11 if approved by the powerful rather than the people?</p><p>I gladly signed the Adopt Amendment 11 petition at the AwakeMarion.com website because government for the powerful is unjust, corrupting, and exploits taxpayers. It has to be stopped so that we can return to government that is responsive to the needs of the people, not stuffing the purses of the powerful.</p><p><i>Gail M. Colby is a retired legal assistant who lives in Ocala.</i></p>